The Independent Party of Connecticut expects to qualify a full slate of candidates for all the statewide offices this year. See this story. The party already has 11,000 signatures on its statewide petition. The law requires 7,500.
Although the Libertarian Party and the Green Party are ballot-qualified for some of the lesser statewide offices in Connecticut, they are not ballot-qualified for Governor or U.S. Senator and they are not petitioning this year for Governor or U.S. Senator. Therefore, it is likely that the Independent Party nominee for Governor will be the only ballot-listed opponent of the Democratic and Republican Parties for Governor. For U.S. Senator, the Connecticut for Lieberman Party is ballot-qualified and will have a nominee. Although the Working Families Party will also be on the 2010 ballot for all the statewide offices, it will be cross-endorsing all the Democratic statewide nominees.
The Independent Party is already ballot-qualified for President in Connecticut, and for U.S. House in the 5th district, and in 15 state legislative districts. But it hasn’t had ballot-status for the state statewide offices. Connecticut is the only state in which a party’s qualified status is on an office-by-office basis. A party that polled 1% for any particular office in the last election is automatically on the ballot for that particular office. The party ran Ralph Nader for President in Connecticut in 2008. Thanks to ThirdPartyDaily for the link.
Third Party Watch is back in business?
Thanks, Paulie. I fixed it; I meant ThirdPartyDaily.
Richard:
fyi
The USCA2C yet again yesterday denied a motion to allow registered independents to change their enrollment to IPNY “independence party – NY” while currently in the registration enrollment lock box and be allowed to sign OTB petitions for statewide office.
Is there an opportunity to ballot petition (by any name) in any state besides NYS?
No, only New York state has ever had the strange procedure in which voters must submit a petition, in order to be allowed to cast write-in votes in partisan primaries that otherwise would not be held because only one person, or zero persons, were on the ballot.
Perhaps Al Gore should move to Connecticut and run for the Connecticut for Lieberman Party nomination for U.S. Senate. George W. Bush could move to that state and contest the Republican Party primary. Then Ralph Nader could campaign for the Independent Party nomination and we could do a reprise of 2000!
I’m sure I’m not in philosophically agreement with most if any of the Connecticut Independent Party nominees for office in 2010. But if I resided in Connecticut, I’d “bite my tongue” and vote for them.
Why? Because they are Independents. And unlike Democrats and Republicans, they are not a group of “good ole boys” who want politics to continue as usual. If the Connecticut Independent Party can help destroy the “2 party stronghold” in this state, then I’m all for it.
I like Connecticut’s 1% law for ballot access!